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On Our Side: Public Support for Sex Education

Abstinence-only-until-marriage proponents might portray sex education as a controversial issue. However, all evidence suggests that comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a mainstream value in the United States. The vast majority of people in the U.S. support CSE—medically accurate, age-appropriate education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception, among many other topics. Most people also believe young people need information about how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Public support for sex education in this country is overwhelming—regardless of political affiliation, religion, and/or regional demographics. Yet only 38% of all high schools and 14% of middle schools in the United States provide all 19 topics identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as critical sex education topics. Learn more.

Download a PDF of the On Our Side: Public Support for Sex Education here.